End-of-year exams are coming up, with preparations underway to push through final papers before the long-awaited December school holidays. Everyone has experienced a little anxiety and fear, and this may be the case during exams.
Here are a few tips to stay calm during it:1. Learn to calm yourself down:
When in the exam there are a number of things you can do to stay calm. If you are feeling nervous close your eyes and breathe deeply. This will physically calm you down. Remember the power of positive thinking. Tell yourself you can do this.2. Be strategic:
Keep an eye on the clock and prioritise your approach. Start perhaps with some easy questions to get warmed up. Or, perhaps you could start with the harder ones or questions that are worth the most marks.
As time ticks on you may need to shift your priorities. If short on time, stick to the questions you are confident with to collect the most marks.3. Stay positive:
Instead of panicking, because you can’t answer every single question fully, focus on using the knowledge you do have. You may not get full marks, but you will at least get some. You can only do your best. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do more than that.4. Annotate your question paper:
If you are struggling to, say, understand a question, then make some notes. Underline key words, write down ideas. This will get your thoughts flowing before you actually put pen to paper for your answer.5. Stay focused:
Don’t worry about what is happening around you, what others may be doing, or any other thoughts that may creep into your mind. Stay focused on yourself and your exam.
